Once A Warbler, Always A Warbler
by motherfickle
Summary: Reaction ficlet to Michael, all from Nick's POV. Nick felt incredibly guilty about Blaine getting slushied, but what could he do to stop Sebastian?


**A/N: So I seem to be writing a lot of oneshots recently. This one, the college!Klaine one, and I have like three others started on my laptop. Sigh. I need to be writing English essays and working on my WIPs...**

**Oh well. This came to me as I was watching the episode on Wednesday, but it's taken me a while to write. Nick looked so conflicted as he walked away from the Bad scene, and BOOM the plot bunny hit me. So yes, this is the episode from Nick's POV (well the episode post-Blaine getting slushied)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p>The plan is to slushy Kurt.<p>

It had been Sebastian's idea. Nick isn't really sure why they're doing it in the first place, but he tends to just go with whatever's happening. Best not to rock the boat.

They're having a 'sing-off' with the New Directions, and the song is drawing to a close. He sees Jon pick up the brown paper bag from behind one of the pillars. This is it. The bag's passed to Nick, and he quickly thrusts it into someone else's hand, not really wanting a part in what's about to happen. He _likes _Kurt. But what could he do?

It seems to happen in slow motion. Sebastian pulls his arm back and aims the cup towards Kurt, but at the last second Blaine shoves the other boy out the way and takes the slushy in the face. Nick winces. That's going to sting.

Three seconds later and Blaine is on the floor. It's as clear as day that whatever was in that cup had not been a normal slushy. Blaine is _screaming. _It isn't a noise that Nick's heard before. Sure, he's seen Blaine cry, especially when he first transferred to Dalton, but he's never heard him scream. He's curled up on the floor, Kurt hovering over him, looking like he's almost in tears. Nick is too.

The Warblers are walking away and Nick has no choice but to follow. What good would staying do anyway?

As he leaves the scene, he turns back to look at his friend, who's now crying on the floor. Nick has never felt more guilty in his life.

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><p>The journey back to Dalton is near silent, but as soon as they get into the school, all hell breaks loose.<p>

It's one thing to plan to slushy Kurt, but entirely another to hurt Blaine like that. Blaine had been one of them for two whole years, and Sebastian himself has said Once A Warbler, Always A Warbler.

Accusations are being thrown left and right, and for the first time Nick doesn't want to call himself part of this group. It doesn't matter who the slushy had been intended for, because isn't Kurt supposed to be their friend too? He might not have been at Dalton for very long, but he had sure made a lasting impact. No-one will forget the time that Kurt Hummel had roamed these halls.

Eventually Sebastian calms the group down, decides it was all a big mistake, and moves on. No-body objects and Nick wonders what has happened to them. A year ago this would never have happened. Wes would have knocked someone out with his gavel if they had so much as suggested throwing a slushy at someone.

But no-one says anything and they move on.

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><p>It's two days later and there's a girl in their music room. She's yelling at Sebastian but all Nick can hear is <em>Blaine may lose an eye.<em>

_Lose an eye. _

And it's their fault, Nick included. How has he let something like this happen? Oh yeah, because he's a coward, and needs someone else to make the first move to stop Sebastian.

Then they're all being asked to leave the room by Sebastian, and Nick waits anxiously behind the door. He can hear the two singing in the music room, and he hopes nothing bad happens because they're both very...stubborn.

Jon is shoving another slushy into Nick's hands, and Nick doesn't know why and then Sebastian is opening the door and grabbing it and he's throwing it in the girl's face.

Oh.

But Nick heard what Sebastian had said. Rock salt. He takes chemistry and he knows what would happen if you put rock salt in a slushy. He's unsurprised then at the fact that Blaine might become blind from the attack.

Because that's what it was. An attack. They've attacked a boy who has been friends with everyone, except Sebastian, in this room for years. And what did they do to stop it? Nothing. The same as Nick has done nothing.

But Nick tells himself that he won't let this kind of thing happen again. He looks around the room and sees a similar resolve in the rest of the group. And Trent. Trent looks like he wants to cry and punch Sebastian in the face all at the same time. Trent's always had a soft spot for Blaine.

And so, Nick decides, next time the opportunity comes around, he _will _stand up to Sebastian, and he _will _get the Warblers back to how they used to be.

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><p>They've been invited to the McKinley High auditorium.<p>

Nick doesn't know why, but he has an idea. He's always liked the New Directions. He respects them. And also Blaine is one of them now, so he can't help but feel good things about them.

They sit down and listen to the New Directions tell them that they don't understand Michael. Nick agrees.

They sing and they are really good. Exceptional, even. He can see why Blaine likes it here. The boy in the wheelchair is rapping and he's impressed. He throws a look to Jeff sitting next to him, and he has a similar expression on his face. His face falls, though, as Kurt sings his part, clearly aimed at them. It's nothing that they don't deserve. He hears movement behind him and looks up to see Trent jumping onto the stage to dance with the New Directions. He's shocked, but at the same time completely unsurprised.

It doesn't take long for Nick to join him, along with the rest of the Warblers, until the only person left sitting is Sebastian. The song ends, and Sebastian looks bored. And Nick snaps.

"Come on Sebastian, give it up!" he says. It's the first time he's stood up to Sebastian, and it feels good. It's not enough to squash the guilt, but it's a start.

Kurt and the girl who came to their school, Santana, he thinks, are speaking again. They say that the Warblers can finally see what Sebastian is like, but they're wrong.

They could see what he was like before, what he was doing to their group, they just chose not to notice it. But not anymore. There is no way that Nick, or Trent he suspects, is letting anything like this happen again. Ever.

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><p><strong>AN: I DON'T LIKE ANGST. I REALLY DON'T. But it's so easy to write -.-**

**Anyway I hoped you liked this, and please review! :)**


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